Civil Rights Act 50th Anniversary

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Freedom Summer anniversary brings reflection

On July 2, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; unequal application of voter registration requirements; and racial segregation in schools, the workplace, and facilities that served the general public.

The signing and passage came in the midst of what was known as Freedom Summer, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee’s voter registration drive in Mississippi. That year, three Freedom Summer workers were murdered and acts of violence occurred in many places in the United States. At the same time, black and white Methodists and members of the Evangelical United Brethren Church were working alongside others to keep the efforts non-violent.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary, Interpreter Magazine invited six who were involved in the struggle for civil rights to share their reflections.